The law enforcing agencies have seized huge illegal foreign liquor, cash money, cheque books from the possession of the most notorious gang leader Salim Prodhan, who has a number of illegal business and was well known as a pimp of BNP leader Tarique Zia. Following his arrest on Monday night inhabitants around Gulshan, Baridhara and Banana who for a long time suffered his tortures and agonies on various occasions are now said to be feeling relieved.
The news of Salim Prodhan’s arrest stirred among the people who knew him and his illegal conducts. Widely known as the online gambling kingpin, Salim Prodhan rose to grab power with the blessings of the fugitive Tarique Zia.
The anti-crime elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) disclosed the information on Tuesday adding that Salim had been assigned to ‘supply’ pretty young girls to Tarique during special private parties. Tarique Zia is the current acting chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party flouted his father Ziaur Rahman and he is also the elder son.
Tarique Zia connection
The Intelligence agencies during his interrogation came to know that Salim regularly sent money to London to Tarique. Salim Prodhan siphoned huge amount of money from state owned banks including from Pubali Bank using the influence of Tarique Zia.
Siphoned bank money
In the name of bank loan, Salim who grew up in Gaosia area of Narayanganj, siphoned around 100 crore from the Rupali Bank. He misappropriated the loan amount in the name of setting up industry in Japan. Salim who comes from a very poor family also founded a joint venture Japan-Bangladesh Security Printing funded by a Japanese national.
During the BNP regime, cheque books and other bank documents were being printed from this company named Japan- Bangladesh Security Printing. Thus in the name of security printing business, he syphoned crore of money. It is also alleged that using his printing press he was also involved in printing fake currency notes
He eventually joined hands with former managing director of state owned Agrani Bank. He was one of the main associates of Salim Prodhan. At one stage of his illegal business, he left the country and settled in Japan.
Black listed and arrested in Japan
Salim was declared persona-non grata in Japan for his alleged connections with various crimes. He was later banned from entering into Japan. Finding no hope, he left Japan for USA. He married a Japanese girl in the US who he tried to use to return to Japan. He was sent back to Bangladesh after he was arrested in Japan.
Five wives
The intelligence sources said that Salim has at least five wives. Among them, one is Russian, one American, one Japanese and two are Bangladeshis.
His fifth wife is an Assistant Custom Commissioner who now works in Chattogram Custom House.
Bribed Jubo League leader
It was learnt that Salim had bribed Tk 30 lakh to a Jubo League leader to get the government job for his wife. The sources said that the Spa Center located in Gulshan at road no 33 was conducted by Japanese natioals who were staying in Bangladesh. With time, he developed relations with the Japanese women who often had offered Salim with plane tickets to travel to Japan. At one stage of his relations with them he betrayed them and occupied the Spa business.
Grabbed house in Gulshan
The house where the spa center is currently operated is owned by a BNP leader identified as Shajahan who is from Munsiganj. Salim has been occupying the house for long time. He has invested crores of money in different countries yet he has no income source except spa center.
Mysteries income sources
Selim Prodhan moves around in the city using some of the most luxurious and costly cars cordoned by armed body guards. There is a mystery around the real identity of Salim Prodhan. Some say that he is known as Thai Don as because he has huge investment in Thai capital Bangkok.
According to the sources, Salim helped other underworld influential persons to smuggle out their illegally earned money. He is also connected with international gang of online gambling.
Business partner of Gias Uddin Al Mamun
Salim was also a business partner of the arrested Gias Uddin Al Mamun, a closest associate of Tarique Zia. Despite fall of BNP regime, Salim remained untouched and continued his underworld business. He had also presented Mamun with a BMW car.
Desperate during 1/11 changeover
The intelligence sources said that Salim was very desperate during the military backed government in 1/11 in 2007. He was involved in various crimes after he had close relations with an officer named Zahid.
Bodyguards use automatic arms
Salim’s movement was very suspicious to the common people. He had ten bodyguards having most advanced automatic fire arms. His was always cordoned by his bodyguards whenever he was in public places. His lavish life was well revealed during his travel in the city. He would use a number of posh and aristocratic cars to be escorted by his own security forces.
Black money in Thailand
Sources said Salim has huge amount of black money in Thailand. He opened a disco club and resort in 2004 at a sea beach. He also owns hotel business in many places in Thailand. He also owns two luxurious apartments by the sea beach in Thailand and various beauty parlours titled Prodhan Spa.
Black money in Singapore
The intelligence agencies also learnt that Salim has huge investments in Singapore. Several ‘VIPs’ are known to be regular visitors to the Prodhan Spa located at house no 11 on road no 33 of city’s Gulshan area.
Meanwhile, the RAB seized Tk 1.05 crore, some foreign currency notes and bottles of liquor during the raid at Banani house and Gulshan office of Salim Prodhan. RAB conducted the raid on Tuesday afternoon a day after Salim Prodhan was disembarked and arrested from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 3:30pm on Monday on charges of running an online casino in Bangladesh and money laundering. The RAB Legal and Media Wing Director Lt Col Sarwar Bin Kashem made the disclosures at a press conference said this.
The elite forced recovered around Tk 21 lakh house at Banani road No. 2 while foreign currencies of different countries worth about Tk 77 lakh and Tk 7 lakh in cash were also recovered from his Gulshan-2 office. During the raid, the RAB members also recovered a total of 41 bottles of foreign liquor, 12 passports and others valuables including laptops and technical equipment.
Salim’s chief personal assistant Akhtaruzzaman and office assistant Roman were also arrested from the Gulshan office during the 10-hour raid that ended around 6:00am on Tuesday. Two cases -- one under money laundering prevention act and another under narcotic control act -- will be filed against Salim and his two associates, sources said.
The elite force also seized some foreign currencies including US dollars and Malaysian Ringgits worth about Tk 77 lakh from Salim’s online-based gambling office “P24 Gaming” in Gulshan-2. The raid was conducted after Salim gave confessional statement following his arrest. During primary interrogation, the businessman also confessed that he introduced the online-based casino business in 2018 with the help of a North Korean citizen. “P24 Gaming” was being run under Prodhan Group, which is a business conglomerate founded by Salim Prodhan in 2006.
